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And by the by, no question that the reaction time is much better than us humans.
Do they only recharge in gas mode or do they also recharge when running in electric mode?
I'm assuming this is a separate battery from the NiMH for the electric motors.
And yes, it is smaller than standard.
But then again, all it really does is boot the computer. That's it. Electricity for spinning of the engine for startup is provided by the 201.6 volt battery-pack.
So I seriously doubt that "4 hour" recharge estimate was accurate, due to its size and the fact that on-board charging would be faster than a trickle. A joyride in the Prius for at least 30 minutes should do the trick.
JOHN
That's not true.
I got to discover this the fun way. As I was driving the road today, my CD player abruptly stopped itself. Then the Multi-Display switched over to the control screen for the phone and the ringer on the phone itself sounded. You certainly can't miss that. Without bluetooth, I would sometimes not hear the phone ringing. Now I definitely won't.
And naturally, when I finishing talking and hung up, the CD player automatically resumed.
JOHN
That Bluetooth phone sounds way cool too. I was wondering, is there a mute function on it for the microphone--for when you might be on a conference call and just want to listen? If so, is it one of the buttons on the wheel?
Not that I know of, on the Multi-Display. You'd have to use the button on the phone itself.
JOHN
I was once cleaning the car with the car radio on. To my surprise, the car phone system rang and I was able to answer that incoming call within the car. The bluetooth phone was located upstair in the 2nd floor bedroom. Later on, I realize this could be an issue if another bluetooth capable car with the same "1212" default activation code pulled beside me in the street, he/she could make a phone call through my phone and use up my valuable minutes. I might be changing the activation code to get more security from the system.
You CAN make calls with the Prius when driving but only ONE touch numbers you previously programmed would be enabled.
> capable car with the same "1212" default activation code
> pulled beside me in the street
The whole purpose of Bluetooth is to offer a SECURE connection; otherwise, just a traditional wireless technology would have been used instead.
Watch when you establish a connection for the first time. The unique identifier from your phone will appear on the Prius Multi-Display.
One intended purpose of Bluetooth is for the transfer of funds. (Yes, your phone could actually take the place of a credit-card someday.) When money is involved, you better believe security is extremely important. Experiments with wireless vending-machine purchases have already begun in Europe. Experiments with wireless drive-thru purchases have already begun in the United States. Just wait, someday you could actually see the McDonald's menu popup on the Multi-Display. You could make food selections and pay for it all by pressing the screen in your vehicle.
JOHN
Battery power isn't needed to start, if you insert the fob into the dash.
JOHN
After an internet search and several phone calls, I located the clone replacement three states away, due in stock this week. I'm flying out next week (cost $68) to drive it home the same day. The next one will be in my wife's name, so we'll each get the federal and state deductions and credits. Not bad for an hour's "work"! The only other new cars out there today where anything like this is possible also have names ending in vowels but are German or Italian and have MSRP's well into six figures. Thanks, Toyota!
Hope this helps.
I have a question about the Prius with Pkg #9. Is the Bluetooth phone system expensive to maintain? I live near San Francisco and don't know yet if Bluetooth has service in my area. Also, is the Navagation program pre-loaded into the car or is it loaded by the purchaser? My cell phone needs are absolutely minimal, I don't want to pay for some expensive phone service. Is Pkg 6 a better choice? I like the idea of Smart Entry and the improved radio. Without the upgraded stereo, what is the basic radio like? AM/FM/CASS? How is the noise level at 25, 45 and 65 mph? Have you guys noticed premature front tire wear? Have dealers been cooperative toward warranty items?
bksward- what part of Ca are you located?
Thanks
Rich
Bluetooth is FREE to use. No service is needed, it's just a feature on the phone.
In fact, the phone that provides it is FREE (after rebates) right now too. I jumped ship with my old provider, got the phone, and was able to retain my old number. It was a great deal!
> is the Navagation program pre-loaded into the car
It's on a DVD.
And that DVD can be upgraded later (not cheap though) if you desire up-to-date Road & POI (Point Of Interest) data.
> How is the noise level at 25, 45 and 65 mph?
That's hard to answer without a frame-of-reference, got one?
At 30 MPH, the engine is typically off. So you can imagine how incredibly quiet that is.
> Have you guys noticed premature front tire wear?
If you switch to a softer rubber tire and use lower than the recommended PSI, you may experience wear.
With the tires provided, there are no wear concerns at all.
JOHN
The noise levels I was curious about were in reference to hearing the radio appreciation, conversation and road noise. From reviews on this site and others, I have read about tires lasting only about 16k mi and dealers being of little help or customer satisfaction. What is the basic radio like? AM/FM/CASS? Any probs so far with the '04 Priuses?
Rich
That's an excellent frame-of-reference.
Friends & Family got in the habit of asking me after I answered their call to the cell phone if I was in my Prius. There simply wasn't enough vehicle noise for them to tell. So that's a pretty good endorsement that conversations in the 2001 were no big deal.
And now with the 2004 & Bluetooth, the same applies. Except now, they more or less expect me to be in the Prius.
> I have read about tires lasting only about 16k mi
Yup, the CHA version of the Potenza tires were a problem. Forunately, Toyota abandoned them and owners are much better off now.
> What is the basic radio like? AM/FM/CASS?
That's all I had previously. And with a windows-open preference, it was darn good thing it worked well. So the 2004 version should be similar, except it also comes with a CD player standard.
> Any probs so far with the '04 Priuses?
No... and Yes. No there aren't any problems with the hybrid itself. Unfortunately, that great engineering success has caused a supply problem. Demand is so high people are waiting months for delivery now. Bummer, eh?
JOHN
Rich
Currently, you do not need to have your Toyota Prius or Honda Insight tested. There have been difficulties in attempting to perform tailpipe tests on hybrid vehicles. Temporary exemptions can be issued until a new testing process called OnBoard Diagnostics (OBD ll) is available. OBD ll will have the capability to perform accurate testing of hybrid vehicles by reading the vehicle’s on board computer.
Please call or stop by a local Ohio EPA E-Check field office to obtain a temporary E-Check exemption for your Toyota Prius or Honda Insight.
Wow! That's a gross over-assumption. The actual speed was sub-30 MPH, neighborhood driving.
> "Dead reckoning"
Yes it does. But I've never been out of GPS reception yet, so I haven't had the chance to find out how long it continues to calculate position.
Where would that be needed for a car? I could understand someone underground with a handheld finding it useful. The building here (Minnesota) aren't big enough to obscure the GPS signal on the city streets, and there's no benefit in a parking ramp.
JOHN
Not true. Just drive downtown Minneapolis and get stopped under those walkways and you will lose your signal. I lose signal in several spots downtown. The buildings are big enough to cause problems, especially in reduced reception conditions.
On the highways I usually travel on, I do. They are in-city freeways with a lot of stop-and-go rush-hour driving. I'm shifting a lot. Also I do a lot of driving on city streets with stop lights, so again I'm shifting a lot. Not everyone drives on open roads.
When you do shift, you still keep your eyes on the road and can fully concentrate on driving.
That's true. But it's also true when using the Prius' Bluetooth phone, so I don't see a safety difference there.
Very few people drive with two hands on the steering wheel.
I haven't taken a scientific poll on that, but I do know when I took driver's ed many years ago, "two hands on the wheel" was taught as being safer than driving with one hand. My oldest son just completed driver's ed and, guess what, the instructor told him the same thing. So if in fact most people drive with only one hand on the wheel, I don't think that is a good thing.
However, Bluetooth does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to alleviate the distraction of you the driver carrying on a conversation with someone on the other end of the cell phone.
Actually I think it does a lot in that regard, by allowing the driver to talk while looking straight ahead, without the distraction of holding a phone (but I guess that is OK by you, since they only need to have one hand on the wheel for safe driving, right?) or even a headset. As I noted, I think many other common activities that drivers do, such as talking to people in the car or singing along with music, are more dangerous than a Bluetooth phone conversation.
So if you don't mind, I'll continue my fuddy-duddy driving style of driving with both hands (unless I'm shifting) and will continue to yearn for the convenience of a Bluetooth phone--maybe I'll at least get a Bluetooth headset for Christmas. :-)
The recent Harvard study making news found that "a cell-phone user has about a 13 chances in 1 million of being killed in an accident while making a call; that compares with 49 in 1 million for someone driving without a seat belt.
Other drivers and pedestrians have about four chances in 1 million of dying in an accident caused by a cell-phone user, according to the study. Their chance of being killed by a drunken driver is more than four times as high 18 in a million."
Okay, those are obviously extreme "distractions."
But many of the kind Backy was listing are still more deadly than conversing on the phone. The article link below, citing a study by the VA DMV, lists the top 15 distractions causing accidents. Here are their Top 10:
1. Rubbernecking (looking at a crash, vehicle, roadside incident, or traffic): 16 percent
2. Driver fatigue: 12 percent
3. Looking at scenery or landmarks: 10 percent
4. Passenger or child distraction: 9 percent
5. Adjusting radio or changing CD or tape: 7 percent
6. CELL PHONE: 5 PERCENT
7. Eyes not on the road: 4.5 percent
8. Not paying attention, daydreaming: 4 percent
9. Eating or drinking: 4 percent
10. Adjusting vehicle controls: 4 percent
One could make the case that because visibility is arguably not as good in the Prius as say a Lexus RX, rubbernecking and looking at scenery would be less of a problem Regardless, Bluetooth connectivity and steering wheel controls are a great SAFETY feature in a society where driving and talking are all but inevitable.
Peace.
http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news/package.jsp?name=news/drivin- gdistraction/drivingdistraction
Talking on a phone forces you to pay attention to the personal you are talking to. It's completely different, drawing attention away from the task of driving.
-juice
Sorry, my data is specifically gathered from St. Paul.
So if you actually have experience with that, what is the range? How far can you travel without a signal and still be accurately depicted on a map? Realistically though, the benefit in a tight city street situation is a wash anyway. Close is good enough, since you rarely can park close anyway.
For the suburbs & country roads, the DVD system works fantastic and is very informative.
JOHN
This is one beautiful automobile. Anyone trying to decide which color to get - get anything but Salsa Red, it is terrible, worst color of the lot. Whoops! Guess I gave it away with my first sentence.
Quite a dealer experience. I find that I know so much more (Thanks to this and other forums) about the Prius. The guy who completed my loan info. said I did not have roadside assistance with just Toyoguard - I had to have Toyoguard Plus. What a load of crap. Also tried to sell me the extended warrantee pkg for $1280. Well.... I know better, (again thanks to these forums) He also said I only had two years to take advantage of this. Never heard this before, thought it was 3 yrs or 36k miles
Looking forward to spending tomorrow morning looking the car over, reading manuals and just learning how to drive this wonderful piece of techonology.
btw: Stealth is awsome, expect to be able to keep it in this mode longer as the car gets a few miles on it. Seems I start real slow but - You do have to keep up with traffic - and of course the icp cuts in. Hope this will get easier with time.
This car has broken down four times -- engine shuts down completely with lots of indicator lights on dashboard. The loss of power could be dangerous. Condition persists for several hours and goes away.
The diagnosis is that the M5 connector in the transaxle gets wet and creates incorrect signals indicating error conditions. If you have an early build 2004 Toyota, try to get this matter resolved before this happens to you. According to the technincian, you'll require a new transaxle.
Expect those Prius critics to have a field day exploiting this issue.
> this issue.
A solitary report without any detail is nothing to get excited about... though some will anyway.
Online stories... some are legit, some are misdiagnosed problems, others are just fake.
Why do you think I hold gatherings from time to time? It gives me the opportunity to chat with other owners in-person & off-the-record as well as actually see their own Prius up close.
Back with the classic model, there was one single genuine problem with the CVT. That owner provided DETAIL documenting what was wrong. Toyota replaced the whole Prius (same color and everything). Problem solved.
JOHN
What is the estimated top speed of the Prius? I know it's an mpg vehicle not performance, but I was just curious.
oldfox- Congrats on your new Prius.
One of the salespeople encouraged me to look at the SRP on a new Corolla to see what it's like. A good idea for checking out other Prius colors before you actually see it on the road. I personally saw the Driftwood Pearl...I loved it!
Anybody else have the DP color? How is it holding up? Tell me about the "thin" paint coat. Is it due to age, fade or wear out prematurely?
Rich